Hunter
by Dimensionbreak21
Summary: What does one do when all you have ever known is gone? When you awaken and realize you have been asleep for a very...very long time. The world is destined for change, but as much as things change many remain the same. Not everything can be forgotten, in this world or another.
1. Chapter 1

**Awakening**

'_The Titans have breached the walls!'_

_Panic and chaos reigned as the giant creatures approached with thundering footsteps. People hopelessly ran in total mayhem._

'_Everyone run as far as you can!'_

_Screams came from every direction._

_A man screamed in horror as he was eaten alive. Hundreds shared the same fate in the pandemonium._

_Blood smeared all over the walls. _

'_Mom, mom!' A little boy cried as he was caught._

'_Let him go. Leave my child alone!' The woman screeched. The boy engulfed in a humongous hand desperately struggled._

'_Mommy!' Pure fear filled his voice._

'_No! Please, release him!' She watches in horror as her son was lifted high above the ground._

_Tears ran down his cheeks. 'Help me!' He yelled as he neared it's giant mouth._

'_No, no!' Tears stain her face as she saw the look on her son's eyes._

_Complete agony._

'_MOMMY!' One finally scream and giant teeth clamp down._

'_NOOOO!' She gave a deafening scream._

_The destruction was unimaginable. Screaming…Running…Agony…Death._

_Hidden in the shadows a pair of blue eyes watched as everything unfolded._

_The mother fell to her knees and the life in her eyes faded. Similar events happened all around her as more Titans emerged._

_This world was not kind._

'_Why?' She whispered. She looks up at the sick smile plastered on it's face. That horrible smile most the Titans shared._

'_WHY!' Her scream escape her lips just as she was stomped._

**.**

**.**

**.**

"Hey…hey! Are you listing?"

A slim, blond girl snapped out of her gaze and looked at the irritated bus driver.

"This is the last stop." He said with an irritated glare.

Annie stared at him with her distinctive stoic expression. She stood up and silently left. The conductor looked at her retreating form. "Be careful out there. It's not safe to be out this late alone in the city." He mentioned still in a bad mood, but with a hint of concern.

Where does one go when they have nowhere to go?

Countless lights illuminated the entire city. Cars flew by on the streets as she walked on the sidewalk. Her expression was blank as always compared to the people around her. Smiling, laughing, so care free, no fear.…As she journeyed through, someone striding bumped her shoulder.

"Watch it bitch!" A nameless person shouted.

City life was wonderful. The first time such occurrence happened, it did not end too well for that other nameless person. It had taken a while to get used to this place. She never knew that a place could be so noisy, so laud, so obnoxious. It was a wonder no one went mad.

She walked pass a homeless person on the ground talking to the wall.

After roaming the city some more, ironically her feet took her to the loudest place she could could've gone. She walked pass the large crowd of people forming a line and headed straight for the double doors.

"Yo, Annie. Nice of you to show up." A large bulk of a man stood in her way. He was dressed in a heavy black coat. Her stoic face never faltered. "Always with the silent attitude huh?" The bouncer asked, annoyed.

Annie didn't waste her time with him and walked to the door. His large hand gripped her shoulder. "I'm talking to you." Hostility emerged clear in his voice. Annie's eyes slowly trailed to his hand. The people in front of the line, who looked bored suddenly took interest. It was bothersome.

Just as she was about to raise her hand another less bulky man cut in and took the big guy's hand off her.

Saved her the trouble.

"Ernie, I told you last time if Annie comes by just to let her in." He said. Ernie glared at him and crossed his arms. "I thought she needed an attitude adjustment with the way she behaves."

The guy dismissed the bouncer and looked at Annie. "Go ahead Annie. I'll let the boss man know you're here." Annie walked into the club without looking back.

"She needs to be taught a lesson Jack. She comes around whenever she pleases like she owns the place." Bulky man replied.

"Listen, as long as the boss doesn't care neither shall we. Got it." He stated and walked back into the building.

"Still, someone should check that attitude of hers." Ernie said to himself.

The booming music, the body heat of the crowd, the smell alcohol, this was not her ideal place to say the least. Annie sat at the far end of the bar area. Trying to maintain inconspicuous in this place is impossible, which was annoying. Apparently every time she came here someone put a sign on her without her knowing because every guy seemed to try in hit on her. It were times like these she was glad she had so much self-control. The bartender finally came with her drink.

"Drink up." She said in a friendly tone. Annie took a small sip. She didn't often drink, but when she did it wasn't much. She didn't like her senses dulled.

"So what brings you around? The boss sent for you?" She asked.

Annie took her time and barely gave her a side glance. That's more than most people get in this place. The bartender grinned. "Oh, I forgot. No one ever tells Annie what to do." This girl was always trying to get a reaction out of her, but her efforts were never rewarded.

"Nothing, huh." She tended to another guest. "You've been coming here for quite a while now and I still barely know anything about you. You are the most tight lipped person I've ever met." She mentioned. For all she knew Annie could be ignoring her, but that didn't deterred her.

"You know if you answered at least one question I wouldn't bother you so much." She replied. Nothing.

The bartender finished with the other guest and stood in front of her. "Every time you come through those doors you come here and sit all alone. And you have this…" She motioned with her hands."…depressing vibe." Annie kept looking past her. She looked at Annie with a touch of pity in her eyes.

"Would it really be that bad if someone got to know a little about you?" Annie could pick up the tint of sadness at end. Annie's face remained impassive.

"Hey, Annie. The boss is at the office for you." Jack looked a bit aggravated. Annie paid him no mind and just followed him into the cluster of dancing people. She took one last glance back the bartender.

"Better hope, to not know."

_I'll slaughter them!_

_Crack!_

As they walked through the low lit hall the music resonated in the background. The hall was strangely empty. Usually there were a few lackeys hanging around. Arriving at the door, Jack pressed his thumb on the small scanning pad next to it. With a quiet beep the door unlocked.

Despite the blaring noise out there the office room was quiet. The magic of sound proof walls. It was a extravagant room for a nightclub. Then again she doubted the boss got all his revenue from this place alone.

"Annie! I can tell you how glad I am to see you." The man referred as the boss exclaimed behind his desk.

He seemed more…lively than usual. Was it just her or did have five extra bodyguards? He usually only had one. Maybe it had something to with why Jack looked tense.

"When Jack told me you came by I couldn't believe my luck." He said.

Jack shifted his weight to his other foot. She could sense some kind tension in the room, but couldn't figure what it was.

"I'll cut to the chase. You are the best errand boy..er..girl I have. Let me tell you that says a lot." He exclaimed.

Annie slightly narrowed her brows for a split second.

"I need you to deliver a very important package. The reason I need you to do it is because you have never asked questions and you're not the type to be easily swayed by money like most are." The guy next to her, Jack, shifted again. He looked like he wanted to say something.

"Unfortunately, that includes my men. Sometimes, a complete stranger is the person you want to trust most in certain situations." He finished. Jack couldn't stay quiet anymore.

"Sir, if she's so capable why don't you sent her by herself?" Jack exclaimed.

Annie looked at him. Didn't she always? Her eyes drifted to the box the boss pulled out from his drawer.

"Jack how many times have I told you to not interrupt." His voice was stern. Jack became silent.

"What Jack is referring to is that he will tag along on this one."

Jack didn't look happy.

Annie tried to mask the discontent from her voice. "I work alone."

"As much as I want to trust in the philosophy of trusting a stranger I'm also cautious. Jack is the exception to what a mentioned earlier. He has been with me for years. Very loyal." He answered.

"Then send him." She was getting annoyed, but skillfully hid it.

"Despite Jack's loyalty he's not…too capable in certain situations. I don't know what kind of methods you use, but you can certainly take care of yourself which is why I'm sending him with you." Jack didn't look too pleased as he was handed the box.

Neither did she.

The ride to their location was momentarily silent. She wished for it to stay so, but as she expected he didn't seem like the type to keep to himself.

"This is such bullshit. How the hell did I get stuck in this shitty situation?" Jack said as he drove.

She remain silent.

"To top it all of I'm partnered up with the silent monk here." She was considering to letting him rant on until this was over. He would shut up eventually. "I'm this close from quitting this job. That guy has really been overbearing lately. Besides, as much as I like the pay I can't be taking these kind of risks anymore." His aggravation suddenly left him and sighed. All the tension in his body suddenly left him. "My…my girlfriend is pregnant. She told me a few weeks ago." He smiled sadly. "I grew up without a father and…and the last thing I want is for my kid to go through that."

Did she ask for his life story?

"What's in the box?" She asked.

He looked at her a bit surprised. "Didn't the boss just praise you for never asking questions?"

She gave him her blank stare.

Jack sighed. "I don't know."

She didn't ask again, but she could tell he knew something.

Thirty minutes later they arrived at an abandoned farm. As expected it was isolated. Apparently, they were the first ones there.

The night sky was very calm as the moon shined above. Crickets filled the quiet atmosphere with occasional owl.

"Who are we delivering it to?"

"Aren't you talkative tonight? I think this is the most I ever heard you speak." He didn't get a responds, he didn't expect one. Annie stared out the window. He was right. She never asked so many questions, but…something about this whole situation felt …off. Her instincts were never wrong.

"The guys were meeting are some sort of _secretive_ organization or something." Annie looked over at him. He made it sounded like he was belittling them. "Whoever they are. They're paying a lot of money for this piece of-" He cut himself of. He looked at her and just resigned. He didn't care anymore. What was going to happen anyway? They were going to get rid of thing soon.

"I don't know if you know this, but the boss likes to go hunting with his friends once a month out in mountains in the outskirts of the city." He didn't notice as Annie's eyes narrowed for a moment. Mountains?

"It's ridiculous if you ask me. Grown men that have never been taught how to hunt properly on their own. Anyways, a few months back the boss got separated from the group and came across this cave. Inside the boss found this strange crystal. It was at least 12 inches long." He was so caught up in his story he failed to notice as Annie's demeanor change. Her bangs cast a shadow over her eyes.

_I'll exterminate you all!_

_Crack!_

"I don't know how, but someway these guys found out and they've been very…adamant with boss. They-" Jack stopped as a set of lights illuminated them. A car parked in front of them. He handed the box over to Annie without looking at her.

"They'll have a harder time taking it from you if things go bad. Let's go." He got out.

Annie took a few short moments before quietly following him.

The cold night air greeted them as they approached the five men. They all had a firm composure. Looking at their faces Annie could tell these were trained men. However, their expression didn't compare to Annie's cold stone expression. Jack didn't do too bad keeping his face calm.

"Just as we agreed." He vaguely pointed towards Annie. "Where's our money?"

The leader stared at him and then nodded to his men. Jack watched as two took out tree briefcases from their car. They placed them in front of them. Jack kneeled and opened each one.

"Man, they really want that rock." He murmured to himself.

"Now, the crystal." The leader commanded.

Jack stood back up. "Alright, take it easy." He looked over at her. "Annie, give it to them."

The night's cold wind began to pick up as Annie didn't make a move. "Why do you want it?" Her voice was deadly cold.

The leader's calm didn't wavered. "That's none of your concern. The crystal." He commanded.

"Annie just give it to them already." Jack's patience began to slip.

She remained still.

They weren't going to tell her anything. The men became tense as they took out there weapons. She thought she had been careful.

"Dammit." Jack took out his gun as they raised theirs.

"One last time, the crystal." The leader aimed at her.

"Annie!" Jack yelled.

"Tch." Annie tossed him the box high up. For one whole second everyone's eyes were on the box. That was all Annie needed. Before the leader knew it Annie was upon him. She slit his throat with her hidden knife. Blood splatter and then the gunfire began.

She immediately went for the second guy, but he was faster than she thought. He shot her shoulder, making her falter. Jack fire a few shots and got the second guy on the chest. He quickly moved as the third and fourth guy fired at him. However, they manage to hit him twice in the leg and hip, taking him to the ground. The fifth guy didn't waste time and shot at Annie hitting her on the side. Without letting the pain stop her, she threw her knife right in his head. The third guy noticed and aimed to finish her of, but this time she was quicker and closer. He got one shot of before she delivered a devastating roundhouse kick right on his neck, bringing him down. Her injuries caused her to fall as well. The fourth guy, completely furious, aimed at her head. No one else was left standing.

"You bitch! You fucking bitch! I'm going to fuck you up!" He shouted as he angrily stomped over to her in fast strides. "Any last words!"

Annie held her bleeding shoulder and clutched hard, making herself bleed even more. She looked up at him with the most menacing face he has ever seen. "Do you?"

Just as she was about to make her threat true-bang! Gun shots ringed in the air as he was shot once, twice, three, four times. His body dropped dead. Gun aimed, Jack breathed heavily lying on the ground.

"Dammit, it burns!" Jack struggled as he stood up.

Annie got back on her feet and closed her eyes to clear her head. She couldn't believe herself. She almost…When had she become so rash? Calming down, she could feel Jack next her.

"Hey, Annie." He started. "Why-?" Her eyes snapped open. Before she knew it, she was shoved to the side and in a manner of few seconds all she heard were two gun shots. Annie looked over and saw the leader she thought she killed earlier now had a bullet hole on his forehead. Standing up, her eye's drift down to the body on the ground. Blood slowly pooled around her feet. She could tell Jack was fatally wounded. Her face inexpressive.

"You shouldn't have done that." She stated, voice ice cold.

He coughed up blood. "I-I didn't…mean to. My b-body jus-st moved." He stupidly smiled at her.

"I g-guess I'm…going to-to be just…like m-my old-d man after a-all." With those words he was gone. Annie's emotionless expression never wavered as silence consumed the place. She gazed up at the stars. There were a lot of them tonight, far from the lights of the city, she could see them clearly. Just like old times. This world had changed. There was no denying it…But, tonight she had been reminded that no matter how much things have changed, some will always stay the same.

"I would've had to kill you either way."

In an unknown location, deep underground _something _hidden in the darkness stirred.

_I'll annihilate you!_

Crack! A giant crystal began to break. Cracks formed all around it.

_I'll purge this world of every last one of you!_

As the crystal began to shatter all over, small pieces rained down around it from the tremor.

_I'll destroy you with my own hands!_

The pressure was too much. Small bursts chipped the crystal open from every direction.

_I'm going to kill them all. Every fucking one of _THEM!

The tremor became stronger, rays of light shot from the cracks. The giant crystal cocoon exploded and fragments scattered everywhere. As the tremor died down and silence returned, from the debris emerald eyes could be seen.

A JAEGER had awakened.

* * *

Auther Notes: It's been a long time since I've written anything on this site, but after seeing Shingeki No Kyojin I had to read some of the stories here. I was disappointed when I saw the lack of stories around Eren and Annie. At the beginning of the show I liked Eren and Mikasa, they were okay. Then I got to see Annie and how she made a special connection with Eren. I was a annoyed that they took out some important scenes in the anime that showed their connection. Shingeki No Kyojin knows sure knows how to make interesting characters and I mean all of them. Eren and Annie's personalities are polar opposites, but that's what makes their dynamic so interesting to me. It's subtle. To top it all of, they're enemies and that's what got it. That's the kind of conflict I love in stories.


	2. Chapter 2

**Out Of Place**

Darkness surrounded him. He didn't know which way to go, his senses were going haywire as he ran from the dreaded darkness around him. Where was he? Was the only thing that ran through his head. It had taken him forever to get out from the underground caverns. At the end all that greeted him was the night's cold air and more darkness. The moon barely aided his sight. All he could feel were the gravel beneath his feet and the trees he was having a hard time avoiding. How long had he been running? It felt like he had been running for days. Just as he was going to stop and catch his breath the ground disappeared right beneath his feet.

He cursed as he tumbled down unable to slow down. He came to an abrupt stop as he landed on flat ground. With the pain he felt he knew for sure he was going to have a few good bruises later. Closing his eyes, he let his lungs fill with much needed air. His body felt so strange. After a small rest he got back on his feet. As much as his body screamed in protest he kept moving. He needed to know where he was. What happened? How long was he-

Did the ground suddenly become evenly solid?

Slowing down, he tried to see were he was stepping on. His legs shook from fatigue as he knelt down to feel the ground. It was a rough surface, but it was leveled. Suddenly, he heard some kind of noise in the distance. Standing back up, the sound got closer and closer. He tried to see what it was, but it was pitch black. The roaring noise became louder and all of a sudden two bright lights appeared out of nowhere!

In a screeching halt a van skid to a stop.

He harshly fell back and felt his head make impact with the hard surface. If his head was jumbled up before now it was a mess. He could barely distinguish as a pair of hurried footsteps approached him.

"Hey man, are you alright?" A man asked.

"Dammit, Zack! I told you to fix those headlights before coming through here." A woman's voice.

"Chill, what's with the attitude?" The man's voice was so…mellow.

"Oh, man. He's head is bleeding. We better take him with us." The woman said, concerned.

"Relaaaaax. It's not like he's dying"

The man helped him up and carried him into some kind of…machine. Whatever this machine was the inside was a mess. The moment the man sat him down a strange odor attacked his sense of smell.

Settled inside the machine roared to life and began to move. If he wasn't so exhausted or his head wasn't throbbing like hell he would've jumped in panic.

"Hey, what's your name?" The woman asked.

He tried looking at her, but his vision was blurred. "Eren…Eren Jaeger."

"Jaeger huh." The man said in a humorous tone. Was there something wrong with his name? The man began to smoke something. The woman frowned.

"Don't you think you had enough for one night." She exclaimed.

"Take it easy Sis. It's exactly what we all need right now to relax." He said.

"Is…is it some kind of medical herb?" Eren asked. Anything to get rid of this unbearable pain.

The man chuckled. "Yeah, something like that. Want some?" He offered.

"Eyes on the road." She said. She scowled at him and then turned to Eren.

"Eren, where are you from?" She asked.

"I'm…" Where was he from?

Tried as he could, he couldn't remember. Beyond the caverns he could vaguely recall anything. He felt the answer buzzing at the back of his head, but the pain was unbearable.

"He doesn't look so good." Zack mentioned.

"No kidding." She remarked.

Why was he in those caverns? Why did his body feel so numb? Why…Why…Wh-

Suddenly images began fluttering through his head. The screams…the blood…the torment. Too much pain, too much information. His brain couldn't handle it. Image after image sped trough his mind until…

…his mother.

Eren screamed an agony. His hand clutched his head, reopening his wound.

"Eren?!" The girl yelled.

Miles away if anyone had looked up at the sky, they would've seen a thundering, orange lightning light up the calm night sky.

Clothes scattered everywhere. Half eaten food on the counter, random piles of books on the floor. The dark apartment was a mess. Annie quietly slept on her couch as her digital clock marked that the late hour in the morning. Her eyes slowly opened.

Another day. Swinging her legs down she sat up and paused. Her mind wandered, lost in thought. After a short while she got up and started her morning rituals. Mundane routines had become like second nature to her.

Leaving the bathroom, she turned on the tv. She didn't care much for this thing, but it had it's small perks. For a contraption that was suppose to entertain, it was full of idiotic garbage. One of the many things she hated about this era. The only use she got out of it were the news.

"…thanks for weather report Allen. It sure is going to be a sunny day today at…" The news anchor continued on.

Annie walked over to the counter and reheated the take out food from the other day. Her eyes occasionally drifted the tv, but her mind wandered once again. As much as she didn't want to she had to do something about her recent…discovery. It was fortunate for her there was at least one survivor.

_Cleaning up the mess was not the highlight of her night. As she gathered the bodies to one spot she heard a groan. Annie looked over and saw the man she had kicked unconscious began to come to. She had hoped she hadn't broken his neck. As she approached, the man stirred awake. From what she could tell, he was a trained soldier. She couldn't afford to be…gentle. Not like it was in her nature to begin with. It was going to be a long night._

Her interrogation session had taken a lot longer than she had expected, but she had gained quite the interesting insight. Annie went and spread her curtains open letting the morning light into the room. The question was where to start. From what she gathered she should-

"…bizarre orange lighting and giant monster attack."

Annie's gaze gravitated to the tv.

"Milton, who is on the scene, has more on the story." The image on the tv switched to an isolated road in the middle of a forest. It seemed like an explosion had gone off.

Police, fire trucks, and ambulances clustered on one location. At he center of the scene a demolished van lied on the side of the road, surrounded by fallen trees.

"Thanks John. Apparently, we have two victims in critical condition. They had to be immediately hospitalized and were taken by helicopter. As you can see behind me the van they were traveling in has been completely destroyed. There is some evidence that suggest there was third person in the van, but that's speculation at this point. There is not much to go on. Local authorities seem to believe a lightning strike caused the damage despite not having any fires. One of the injured witnesses was able to speak a few words before being taken that said something different had happened."

Annie's breath shortened.

"From the little we managed to gather from the witness, a giant humanoid creature caused the destruction. Now we've gotten reports from the locals around the area to have seen a lightning striking at this location the other night, which agrees with the authorities. Considering that the victims were both diagnosed to be under the influence of marijuana, a lightning strike seems to be the reasonable outcome." Milton concluded and switched back to the anchorman.

"Strange situation. Giant monsters and random lightning strikes. That's one way to start your morni-" She switched it off.

Frozen in place, Annie stared at the blank screen. It was impossible. There was no possible way. She…

First the soldiers and now this. It seemed this world wasn't going to give her any breaks either. She desperately wanted to ignore everything and just go on with this life that she has made, but she knew that was impossible. She'd better make her move now, before anything else unfavorable happened.

_Beep…_

_Beep…_

_Beep…_

Eren slowly awakened by the sound. He immediately shielded his groggy eyes from the bright lights. Why must it be so bright? After his sight adjusted he found himself in some sort of white room. He looked to his side and saw the source of the beeping noise. It was a strange machine with cables coming out of it. He trailed a tube like cable to a needle in his arm. He quickly ripped it from his arm as panic arose in his chest. He jumped to his feet and saw he had on some bizarre white garments.

He took in his surroundings. The last thing he vaguely remembered was barely regaining conscious near a river and blacking out again. Finding a window he tried opening it, but it took him a few seconds to figure out how. Finally, when he did he couldn't believe his eyes. The sight that awaited him was unreal. Machines with wheels moving on there own, people walking by in strange clothing, glowing signs everywhere.

Where in the world was he? What was this place?

Eren forced his gaze back to the room and headed for the door. He peeked outside. More people in even stranger wardrobes. Closing the door he looked for his own clothing. He couldn't leave with such ridiculous garments on. He searched another door, which turned out to be a closet. He was delighted to find his uniform. He quickly changed and carefully opened the door. Scanning the area he walked out. He tried to act natural, but it was difficult seeing as people kept giving him strange glances. Shouldn't he be the one staring? They were the one with the bizarre attires. Eren turned a corner and was greeted with a similar hall. Why was everything white? And where were the stairs? From the window he could at least tell he was on the second floor of the building. He wanted to find stairs fast, he didn't like this place. As he continued to search he assumed he was in some kind of medical facility. In every turn there was an ill or injured person. It made sense. He had been unconscious. At least most of the pain in his head was gone.

By the time he reached a fifth hall he became frustrated. The staring was not helping. Just when he was reaching his boiling point he spotted the stairs.

"Hey, has anyone seen the patient from 206?" A man asked.

Eren had a bad feeling about this, but didn't stop.

"You mean the man with the weird uniform? He's heading for the stairs." Another man said.

"What! Stop him! The police haven't cleared him yet." He yelled.

When he heard footsteps running his way, he knew it was time to run. Eren didn't know what was going on, but he knew they didn't want him to leave, which was not an option. Being incarcerated here wasn't going to help him get any answers. Jumping steps Eren hurried down the stairwell. People yelled as he bumped into them, but didn't have time to apologize. He could feel a few men right on his tail.

Jumping the last few steps, Eren made a mad dash for the exit. Eren was relieved that it was easy to spot the double doors. People jumped out of his way while some tried to grab him. As he neared the exit he panicked when he noticed there were no door handles on…were those glassed doors? He would just have to jump through them. Without slowing down he readied himself for the impact, but just as he was going to ram the glass, the doors parted by themselves.

The bright sun hit Eren's skin as he looked back in amazement. How did they open on their own? He didn't have too much time thinking about it as his ears were bombarded with noise from every direction. He hadn't noticed before how many sounds mixed together flew in the air, but it was clear now. Doing his best to ignore the sounds, now that he was outside, he picked up speed and easily out ran his pursuers. He couldn't help, but notice how along the way everyone kept staring at him again and he had a feeling it wasn't because he was rushing through the crowd like a mad man.

As he lost the last guy he quickly hid behind an alley to catch his breath. Having time, he finally took everything in. His mind could barely comprehend what he was seeing, too baffled by the many things this strange place held. The buildings that looked like they could reach the clouds, the machines that didn't need horses to move, the people that were so...unafraid. Now that he took the time to notice, he understood it wasn't the people that were out of place.

Eren came to the realization that _he_ was the one that did not belong.


	3. Chapter 3

**Search**

A strong tremor swept through the chairs of the plane. Annie despised this infernal flying machine. To the nearby on looker she faced the world with a disinterested expression, however, her death grip on the armrest said otherwise. It wasn't that she was scared of flying per say, but rather not being in control. She liked being in control of her transportation, especially, if she going to be veryfar _away_ from the ground. The fact that she was trapped in a giant tube with nowhere to go was an entire different matter she didn't want to think about.

"Miss, would you like anything to drink?" The stewardess asked.

"No." Her cold demeanor effectively masked any unease she felt.

"Alright. If ther-"

"How long until we land?" She asked.

"It shouldn't be more than a few hours." The stewardess smiled and walked to attend the next passenger.

All Annie could do was go to the recess of her mind and wait. After finding out where the accident was located, she immediately took the first plane out. There was a good chance that _organization_ those soldiers belonged to were on the same trail as her. They knew more than they should have. To add to her list of problems, her instincts have been screaming at her someone has been following her ever since leaving her apartment. If someone was watching her she had to lose them fast. She didn't have the time to waste playing tag. Annie needed to find whoever it was that awakened. There is no telling the disaster that will form if she didn't get there first. Hopefully, the shifter that awakened has kept their cool and assessed the situation carefully.

"Watch it moron!" A person yelled from one of those moving machines.

"You watch it asshole!" Eren's patience was running thin as he stood up after nearly getting ran over by one of those machines. His fascination and awe for this place was dwelling every minute that passed. Dusting himself he stood up and his gaze was swiftly caught by a large window display. Fascination grew as he approached the display. Rectangular shaped boxes with glass in the middle glowed as little people talked inside them. It was liked there were trapped in there. He looked around to see if anyone noticed, but it was just him. Apparently, it was normal to have trapped, tiny people inside strange boxes. Feeling people's eyes on him again, he moved on. By now he knew his uniform was going to give him a lot of unwanted attention. What could he do? It's not like he had anything else. As he travel lost in thought, he didn't notice two set of eyes diligently watching him.

After walking for some time, the laughter of children brought Eren back from his daze. A park full of children playing greeted him. He saw few children playing tag, others playing in some kind of colorful, metallic structure, and some playing with a ball. At least, this was sort of familiar. Eren's eyes soften as he remembered Mikasa and Armin.

'_I wonder how they're doing?' He thought._

His memories were coming back, but he still couldn't remember the events that transpired before falling asleep. Where was he? Was this place somewhere far away from the walls? It was hard to believe. A ball rolling to his feet brought him from his musing. He looked down at it.

"Sorry. My friend needs to learn how to kick." A boy ran over and picked up his ball.

"It's alright." Eren saw the boy's eyes light up.

"Hey, that's a cool costume! Where you get it?" He asked, excited.

"Uh, it's not a costume. It's a uniform." A child should know that, then again…

"Really? What kind of uniform?" He asked. Apparently, he forgot his friends were waiting.

"I'm a solider." Eren said with a hint of pride.

Another kid appeared next to the boy.

"Charlie, what's taking so long?" The boy whined.

"Tom, this guy says he's a soldier!"

"Really?! That's so cool!" Tom looked him over.

"I never seen a soldier like you before. What kind of soldier are you?" Eren frowned. He really must be very far away from the walls.

"I'm a soldier from the Scouting Legion."

"Scouting…Legion?" Tom asked.

Charlie looked at Tom. "Maybe they're from some sort of secretive group in the military."

"Do you guys have some kind of especial salute?" Tom quickly followed. Typical attention span of a child.

"Uh…yeah." Secretive? This kids were giving him a headache. Did these kids don't know anything about the military?

"Hey, mister is someone looking for you?" Charlie asked.

"Why you ask?" Eren asked.

The boy pointed across the street passed the moving crowd of people behind Eren. "Those guys have been looking at you."

Eren followed with his eyes. He spotted two guys talking two each other inside one of those moving machines.

"Maybe not. They just kept looking this way." The kid said, but Eren narrowed his eyes in suspicion nonetheless.

"What's going on guys?" A girl asked with a few other kids on her tail.

Eren began to notice he was gathering a crowd as more kids came. By the way some of the parents were looking at him, he knew it was time to go.

"Listen, guys. It was nice talking to you, but I got to go." Eren said, trying to leave.

"Wait! Show us your salute!" Tom exclaimed. Charlie nodded rapidly. Eren saw a few of the parents come his way. The last thing he needed was to attract more attention.

"Okay, but then I have to go." He quickly said. Eren stood back and firmly brought his fist across his chest. Even though he was in a hurry, he couldn't help, but show pride in his salute.

Eren quickly left after that. Charlie and Tom looked at each other smiling.

"Awesome."

Eren looked back to make sure no one was following him. He still didn't know where he was going or what he was going to do. He was never good at coming up with plans. Armin would have been a great person to have around in this situation.

"You are two hours late! What's the matter with you!" Eren was crossing the street when he saw a man get his ear chewed out.

"I'm so sorry sir. I promise I'll get them over there on time." The man apologized as he hurried loading the small truck.

"Do you know how much ass kissing I had to do because of this! If you don't get this shipment in an hour you're through!" The manager shouted and went inside his store.

Eren watched as the man frantically loaded his large moving machine with the many boxes lying around behind the store. Eren cleared his head. He should get moving. As he was about to leave the man saw him.

He thought for a second. "It's not like anything to lose." The man mumbled.

"Hey, man." Eren looked back. "Can you help me out." The man pleaded.

"Me?" Eren asked.

"I know this out of the blue, but I _really_ need the help. I'm on a tight spot. Can you help me load the boxes." The man seemed desperate. Eren thought for a few moments and sighed. It was not like he was busy. Without a word Eren picked up the nearest box.

"Thank you. I owe you big time." At least he was grateful.

With the extra hand they gathered all the boxes and finished quickly. The man closed the back of his truck and smiled.

"I really appreciate your help. My name's Ben" The man shook his hand,

"Eren." He didn't know if it was paranoia, but Eren felt like he was being watched. He looked around, but only saw people walking around, minding their own business. No sign of those two guys from earlier.

"Listen, I'm going to the other side of the city. If it's along the way I can give you a ride. It's the least I can do." Ben said, sadden that he couldn't do more.

Eren scanned the area one more time and looked at Ben. He had nowhere else to go and it would probably be best if he got far away from this area. This unease feeling was not going anywhere. "Yeah, that be good."

Ben smiled.

"Let's go." Ben went around and got on the driver side. Walking over to the passenger door he examined it and felt the handle. It only took him a second to figure out how to open it. He cautiously sat on the passenger seat. Ben turned the key and the truck roared to life. Eren's hands flew to the dashboard.

"You alright?" Ben gave him a weird glance.

"Mhm." Eren tried not jump as they began to move. Trying to stay calm was not going to be easy.

The site of the accident in the news report was out in the country road in the forest. It was pretty remote - the nearest city was about 30 miles away. Questioning the few locals that lived by was no walk in the park. Her likeable personality did not help matters. Surprisingly, they were of some use. A few of them claimed to have seen something big moving behind the dark trees in the middle of the night. Some reported it the authorities, but they didn't do much. One even said that an inhuman roar woke his entire family and dogs. What bothered her the most, however, was what she learned from the last house.

"So you say something woke you up. Did you see what it was?" Annie questioned the old, kind woman that let her into her home.

"Well, I didn't see anything. The thing that I heard were the giant thumping sounds." Annie listened carefully. "I'm a heavy sleeper, not even an thunderstorm could wake me up." The old woman smiled. "It was my cat jumping on me that woke me up. At first I thought it was an earthquake that spooked him, but an earthquake does not sound like footsteps." She concluded.

"Why didn't you report this?" Annie was curious.

The old woman laughed. "Who would believe the wild stories of an old woman?" Annie didn't comment any further.

"Which way were those footsteps going?" She asked.

" I believe they were heading towards the city, but I'm not too sure…" The woman looked at Annie and regarded her for a moment. "You believe me don't you." She exclaimed. Annie remained silent.

"I got to say this has been a strange day."

"How so?"

"I never get much visitors and today I got two asking me this strange questions no one would believe." Annie's eyebrows lowered closer.

"Did the police come by?"

"No. It was these two rough looking fellows. They were very determined with their questions just like you." She said.

"When was this?" Annie asked.

The woman became thoughtful. "I would have to say about a few hours ago."

Things were getting better by the second.

By the time Annie got to the city it was almost dark. Ever since arriving at this city she has felt eyes on her back, and it was becoming a thorn on her side. She thought she had lost them back at the airport, but they were persistent. As much of a hurry she was in she'll have to take care of this before moving on.

Annie casually glanced around the street. There were too many people walking around. An another time this would've been preferable, but she needed to get rid of these guys now.

"This is pointless." The man exclaimed as he and his partner spied on Annie inside their car.

"Orders are orders." His partner said.

"What are we going to learn by following this girl. For all we know she has no idea where to go." He complained.

"Mark will you just drop it." This is why he didn't like getting partnered up with him. He complained about everything.

"I still don't see how a small girl like her took out one of our squads." Mark started the engine as Annie continued to walk a good distance away.

"That is yet to be confirmed." He responded, eyes never leaving Annie.

"Their assignment was so easy, I can't believe they were taken down like that." Mark said, picking up speed as Annie turned onto another street.

"Will you focus at the task at hand." He reprimanded.

"Ray, I have I ever told you you have a wonderful personality." Ray wondered how he got stuck with this guy.

"You are going to lose her." Ray warned.

"Will you relax?" Mark turned the corner and spotted Annie walking down the sidewalk. "See. She's still there."

Mark looked over at Ray. "You need to have a little more-"

"Red light."

Mark skidded to a stop, just as a car flew by in front of them. "Shit." He looked at the direction the car went of. "Fucking moron."

"The only moron here is you." Ray said, looking around.

Mark looked ahead. "Where she go?"

"I think she went into that alley." Ray calmly answered.

"You think? Very reassuring."

Ray glared at him. "Maybe I would've kept a better eye on her if you had better driving skills."

Mark drove into the alley, but to their dismay it was empty. The allay was probably a block or two long.

"Oh, great." Mark rubbed his head as he slowly drove further inside. "This is not going to go well for us."

"Just keep going. She's probably still close by." Ray said.

Mark turn his gaze to him. "Do you see her anywhere?" There's that tone again. "It's an alley. There's nowher-"

A burst of orange light blinded them.

"What the fu-!?"

CRASH!

Steam filled the air, engulfing most of the alley. The city noise in the background was the only sound in the silent alley. Crushed against the wall was the wreck that was Mark and Ray's car. Approaching footsteps echoed. Annie looked through the broken window and saw blood. She yanked the crushed door open and searched the nearest guy. Finding out their identity would help her in the long run, but she had an idea of who they were. Surprisingly, they were still alive…barely. They weren't going to be moving for awhile. One less thing to worry about.

A distorted sound replaced the silence, catching Annie's attention.

"_The target has been located. I repeat, the target has been located."_ Annie glanced at the radio.

"_We are moving in. All units are to report immediately. Here are the coordinates." _The radio shut off and the GPS came to life.

There was only one possibility to who this 'target' was that they were referring to. Annie quickly memorized the location on the map and headed for the street. It was time for her to get some wheels, fast.


End file.
